Sealing device



Jan, 15, 1935. V 3 A, GODDARD 1,987,737

SEALING DEVICE Filed July 1, 1953 lnvenToT.

Charles A. Goddard MWJKW AHys.

'I"his:invention relates to improvements in'seal ing, devices such as are employed to prevent the; opening or manipulation of devices which. are

Patented Jan. 15, 1935 lT-ED BATE-N Alin -waf r- :-:11m* we 412mm "(Cl I intended to remain in: locked position.-

Seals for this purpose are commonly employed' upon locking devices forfreight -ears,-, mail and other types of-elosures and arealso employedin automatic, fire extinguishing -systems,.;such assprinkler systems which are provided with normally open valvesvadapted to be-closed. temperarily to permit the setting --or replacement of fusible devices forming, part of-the sprinkler and which, when suatliciently I heated. will be released toopen' the sprinkler heads'and; thereby discharge extinguishingupon the fire; :Afrter; such-fusible devices have. been-installed or replaced, the valves in the pipes are opened: to permit the fire extinguisl-iing-fiuidta pass to the sprinkler heads and to insure that suchvalvesremain' -properly in open position-inspectors are required to lock. the valves inopen position, usually by a keeper passed-through registering, apertures in portions of the valve, and then. to seal; the keeper toprevent itsremovaland the closing of the valve.

; The principal object of thepresent i-nvention. is

to-"provide a seal of the character described of small and economical construction which when looked upon the keeper cannot be removed.

More; particularly the present invention comprises-certain improvements upon the. sealing;

device disclosedtin Patent-No.- May 22 1933, to Egbert Greely Clark.

A! preferred embed ent of the nvention is illustrated in the accompanying. idrywin g .i L I the keepemts'ap erenaor head will'beloc'ated which,

showing the clamping device of the seal in locking-engagement with'the keeper, the cap being omitted;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the clamping member in looking engagement with the keeper and the preferred means for locking the cap within the chamber of the body; and,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the seal shown in Fig. 1, with the cap removed, illustrating a preferred form of resilient locking device for preventing the removal of the cap.

The preferred form of seal illustrated in the drawing comprises a preferably cylindrical body 1 of metal having a channel extending downwardly from one face thereof providing a chamber 2 having a cylindrical peripheral wall 3. An integral stud 4 extends upwardly from the central portion of the body concentric with the periph- .t1on. illus fl l llplib lgranted eialwall. 3 and islprovidedrwith a vertical bore 5 erablyextendsidiametrically through thebody beneath the stud 4. The vertical ,bo're desirably crossesv the recess 6 and;providesa depression 7 in. the lower wall of the recess-6.

A suitable: member-is inserted in the bore and forced downwardly into clamping engagement with the -keeper which, the 'preferred construca ed herein i s in the form of a loo'ped wire aw ch i's d throughthedevice 'tobe locked'and the legs 9 and-1106f 'the loopedv wire passed through the recess 6. Thelocking device desirably .is forced dowiiwardly'sufiiciently to bend the .porticns or the wir engaged. by the locking member mtotiierecess' 7, theiebyp'ioyiii ing afbight-whichwill effectively prevent with drawer or? the iegsofthe'iocp. I

Any suitable lock ng devicefinay be employed. I'nf the' particular" construction illustrated the warns of the verticaixm-efaare screw thi'ad'ed and. a locking screw ll l fn'ciu rited. therein which-is providedwi'th apair ofsiibstantially radial vertical smuiaers 12 only" one or which. isfshowh; halving inclined siirfaees: the opposite sides of and approaching the shoulders; The Shoulders are offset sufficiently from radii to permit. the bit of the screwjdriven. or other "propelling tool, positively to. enga e the shdinders when'the 'tool is-iiotated in; a directionitd' advance "the. screw, while the inclined surfaces prevent effective en gagement of. screw driver with meserewwnen the propellingtool isrotated'. in the opposite idi. reaction. Desirablythe screw is SO short that" when'it. is in locking. engagement with the legs or sor farwithiii'th'fbore that a punch, nail. or other device cannotfibe inserted to engage the screw atI such ang'le faswil ll' permit' rotation. of the, screw by pressure, or by impact upon'the punch, nail, or other device.

The construction above described may be and desirably is similar to that disclosed in the patent to Clark aforesaid.

The present device, however, comprises novel means for preventing access to the clamping member or screw which engages the keeper. The means for preventing the access to the clamping means comprises a cap 13 having a'peripheral flange 14, preferably of such width to engage the bottom wall 15 of the chamber when the cap is applied to the chamber of the body, so that the plane of the top of the cap will lie substantially flush with the upper edge of the peripheral wall 3 of the body. The flange may be provided with a beveled lower edge 16 for a purpose which will hereinafter be described.

The means for locking the cap in assembled position illustrated in Fig. 2 comprises means within the chamber of the body adapted when the cap is in assembled position to engage the stud and the flange in such manner as to prevent removal of the cap when the flange thereof is once inserted inthe chamber.

The preferredmeans illustrated in the-accompanying drawing comprises a thin resilient sheet metal plate which is fixedly secured to the stud 4 and provided with means to engage posi-.

tively the inner face of the flange 14 at a distance from its edge. In the particular construction illustrated a substantially rectangularplate 17 is mounted upon the shouldered upper portion of the stud and a portion 'ofthe stud extending therebeyond is expanded or riveted over to provide a locking flange 18 which permanently secures the plate upon'the stud. The edges 19 of the plate desirably are slightly concaved to provide sharp points 20 which when the plate is in assembled position, illustrated-in Fig. 1, lie in such proximity to theinner face of the peripheral wall 3 of the body that when the flange of the cap 13 is forced into'the body the engagement with the points will cause the plate to be bent slightly downwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 2, thus causing the points 'to engage the inner face of the flange at such angle that the removal of the cap will be impossible as any force tending to raise the cap will tend to straighten the plate and increase the effective diameter of the plate connecting the cap.

It has heretofore been stated that the lower portion of the cap -may if desired be slightly beveled inwardly and the purpose of such bevel is to facilitate the entry of the flange of the cap when the cap is applied to the body.

It will be obvious that by reason of the present construction a greatly simplified sealing device is provided which can'be economically constructed and which will be most effective in operation. a

points which engage the It will be understood that the particular embodiment of the invention shown and described herein is of an illustrative character and is not restrictive of the meaning-and scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is: w 4

1. A'seal comprising an integral chambered body having a cylindrical peripheral wall, an integral stud extending into the chamber'of said body and provided with atransverse recess beneath said studto receive the device to be sealed,

a locking member mounted in said stud movable in a direction to lock said device in said recess, a cap having a flange peripherally fitting within the wall of said chamber and fully enclosed thereby, and a resilient plate mounted on said stud having angular projections engaged by said flange when the cap is in assembled position for efiecting a locking engagement between said cap and said stud.

-2; -A. seal comprising an integral chambered body having a cylindrical peripheral wall, an integral stud extending into the chamber of saidbody and provided with a transverse recess beneath said stud to receive the device to be sealed, a locking plate mounted on said stud movable ina direction to lock said device in said recess, a cap having a peripheral flange fltting within the wall of said chamber, and resilient l'locking plate within said chamber mounted on said stud having pointed portions engaging said flange when the flange of the cap is inserted in said chamber and acting to prevent removal of said cap. 1

3. A seal comprising an integral chambered body having a cylindrical peripheral wall with an integral stud extending centrally into said chamber'and provided with a transverse recess beneath said stud to receive the device to be looked, a locking member mounted axially in said stud and movable only in a direction to lock the device in said recess, a cap having a peripheral flange fitting within the wall of said recess, and a resilient metallic locking member rigidly mounted on said stud having means extending into proximity to said wall for positively engaging said flange when inserted in said chamber and acting to prevent removal of said cap, the lower edge of said flange being beveled inwardly to facilitate the insertion of the cap into said chamber.

4. A seal comprising an integral'chambered body having a cylindrical peripheral wall with an integral stud extending centrally into said chamber and provided with a transverse recess beneath said stud to receive the device to be locked, a locking member mounted axially in said stud and movable only in a direction to lock the device in said recess, a cap having a peripheral flange fitting within the wall of said recess and fullyenclosed' by said wall, and a thin stifi resilient metal locking plate of angular form fixedly mounted on said stud having pointed cor.- ner membersextending into proximity to the wall of the chamber and adapted to be bent slightly downwardly by the flange of said cap CHARLES A. GODDARD. 

